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BurmaNet News: February 6, 1995
- Subject: BurmaNet News: February 6, 1995
- From: strider@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 06 Feb 1995 17:17:00
Received: (from strider) by igc2.igc.apc.org (8.6.9/Revision: 1.7 ) id RAA11046 for conf:reg.burma; Mon, 6 Feb 1995 17:16:00 -0800
Date: Mon, 6 Feb 1995 17:16:00 -0800
************************** BurmaNet **************************
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
**************************************************************
The BurmaNet News: Monday, February 6, 1995
Issue #105
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
"A prostitute in Mandalay costs as little as
75 Kyat (USD $.7) compared to 50 Kyat for a
can of imported Coke."
<See IRRAWADDY: BURMA FORCED LABOUR YEAR 1996>
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Contents:
*************************INSIDE BURMA*************************
1 REUTERS: AUNG SAN SUU KYI REPEATS BURMA SOLIDARITY CALL
2 IRRAWADDY: SUU KYI EVERYWHERE
3 IRRAWADDY: SHOWING WHO IS #1
*****************KAREN STATE/KOWTHOOLEI***********************
4 AP: RIGHTS GROUPS CLAIM SLORC USING "HUMAN SHIELDS" IN ATTACKS
ON KARENS
**********************THE TENASSERIM***************************
5 PRNNEWSWIRE: UNOCAL SIGNS MYANMAR GAS SALES AND PIPELINE
AGREEMENTS
6 UPI: BURMA, THAILAND SIGN BIG GAS DEAL
*************************ARAKAN********************************
7 REUTER: BURMA SAYS IT WILL STEP UP ROHINGYA REPATRIATION
***********************SHAN STATE******************************
8 REUTER: KHUN SA'S ARMY SAYS SINKS BURMESE ARMY BOAT
*********************VISIT MYANMAR YEAR 1996*******************
9 IRRAWADDY: BURMA FORCED LABOUR YEAR 1996
10 IRRAWADDY: UGLY SIDE OF TOURISM SEEN IN BURMA
11 IRRAWADDY: LETTER--MYANMAR AS A U.S.-CITIZEN SEES IT
**************************INTERNATIONAL**************************
12 JAPAN TIMES: MORE OF THE SAME IN MYANMAR
13 CANBERRA TIMES: HAWKE UNDER ATTACK FOR IGNORING BURMA'S HUMAN
RIGHTS
14 ABSL(A): PEACE, HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY IN BURMA
******************************MISC******************************
15 SEASIA-L: POSTINGS IN RESPONSE TO "AP: KAREN REFUGEES"
****************************************************************
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**************************************************************
**************THE BURMANET NEWS, FEBRUARY 6, 1995*************
**************************************************************
*************************INSIDE BURMA*************************
REUTERS: AUNG SAN SUU KYI REPEATS BURMA SOLIDARITY CALL
February 1, 1995
BANGKOK, Thailand (Reuter) - Burma's detained dissident
leader Aung San Suu Kyi has reiterated that she will never make a
secret deal with Rangoon's military rulers, a Buddhist monk who
met her recently said Friday.
U Rewatta Dhamma, a London-based monk, told reporters at
Bangkok airport on his return from Burma's capital that he had
talks with the Nobel Peace Prize laureate late last week.
Asked if the 49-year-old woman, under house arrest since
1989, had any message, U Rewatta said it was the same as the one
she issued last month.
In a statement brought out of Rangoon by her British
husband, Michael Aris, on Jan. 22, Aung San Suu Kyi said she
would make no secret deal with the junta, remained dedicated to
Burma's democracy movement and was at all times bound by her
democratic duty to act with colleagues.
Her statement was apparently issued in response to
concern among her pro-democracy colleagues that she might agree
to freedom under such tight restrictions she would be politically
neutralized while handing the generals a public-relations
victory.
U Rewatta said he met Suu Kyi, the daughter of Burma's
independence hero General Aung San, on the day the headquarters
of Karen ethnic minority guerrillas and pro-democracy dissidents
from her political party fell to a Burmese army offensive.
The headquarters at Manerplaw in southeastern Burma was
abandoned by the guerrillas late Jan. 26 and occupied by Burmese
troops Jan. 27.
The monk, who had talks with the dissident in August,
said he had not discussed when she might be released but had only
taught her how to be a good Buddhist.
He said junta leaders told him she was being detained
for reasons of national security and for her own security.
Rangoon's top generals met Aung San Suu Kyi in September
and again in October, sparking speculation that the junta, which
was set up in 1988 after troops gunned down hundreds if not
thousands of democracy demonstrators, was about to release her.
But junta leaders told a visiting Thai government minister
last month she would not be freed until a constitution now being
drafted was complete. Rangoon-based diplomats say that couldrs.
U Rewatta said he thought the generals would talk to her
again but he did not know when.
Aung San Suu Kyi was a co-founder of the National League
for Democracy (NLD), which swept 1990 elections. The junta
ignored the result and launched a sweeping crackdown on
opposition politicians and democracy dissidents.
*************************INSIDE BURMA*************************
IRRAWADDY: SUU KYI EVERYWHERE
Inside Stories
The Irrawaddy Independent News & Information
Vol. 3 No. 9, 31 January 1995
Address: P.O.Box 14154
Silver Spring
MD 20911
U.S.A
DESPITE being held almost incommunicado for more than 6 years, no
one in Burma, has forgotten Suu Kyi. People are showing their
admiration for her more and more openly. Her name is on
everybody's lips and her photo is sold by roadside booksellers.
One temple shop at Mahamyatmuni Pagoda in mandalay displayed
large farmed prints of Suu Kyi, alongside pictures of her father
and famous monks.
If the Slorc hopes that people will forget Suu Kyi, and what she
stands for, they will be disappointed . (Inside Sources)
*************************INSIDE BURMA*************************
IRRAWADDY: SHOWING WHO IS #1
31 January 1995
Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt is considered Burma's No.1, even though his
boss, strongman, Ne Win is still alive. Khin Nyunt has shown many
times how powerful he is within Slorc members.
Last week Thailand's Foreign Minister Thaksin Shinawatra paid an
official visit to Burma. He had met Senior General Than Shwe and
Khin Nyunt together in the morning.
Nevertheless, senior Thai officials from the Foreign Ministry
suggested Thaksin see Khin Nyunt separately in the afternoon.
Because they say: Khin Nyunt will become Burma's Number One and
he is Burma's future leader. Thaksin accepted they set a time to
meet Khin Nyunt.
But Thaksin met Khin Nyunt after waiting two hours at the
Government guest house. It is embrassing, [to wait two hours],
said a Thai who went to Rangoon together with Thaksin.
But the Thai said: I think Khin Nyunt wanted to show that he is
too powerful if people want to see him they have to wait. (Inside
sources)
*****************KAREN STATE/KOWTHOOLEI***********************
AP: SLORC USING "HUMAN SHIELDS" CLAIM RIGHTS GROUPS
February 4, 1995
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Burmese troops are forcing
hundreds of civilians to act as human shields when attacking
insurgents along the Thai border, refugees from the fighting said
Friday.
The charges were among a barrage of accusations -- from
the United States, human rights groups and others -- against the
Burmese military over its human rights record.
The refugees, among the 15,000 who have fled across the
border seeking sanctuary in Thailand, said the military junta
also was forcing civilians to carry their weapons and supplies in
combat zones.
Amnesty International, the London-based human rights
group, condemned the reports of forced portering, charging that
scores of those who have escaped had been beaten and mistreated
by the junta. Burma has denied such accusations, saying
it is helping to develop poverty-stricken rural areas inhabited
by ethnic minorities and restore democracy to the country.
In December, the Burmese broke the 1992 unilateral
cease-fire it had declared against the rebels to negotiate an end
to the insurgencies. In December it launched a major offensive
against the groups that had refused to lay down their weapons.
An Amnesty International statement said Burma's military
junta has captured hundreds of men and women since seizing rebel
headquarters Jan. 27.
Burmese troops beat those who tried to escape or were too
weak to carry their load, Amnesty International said.
Others, the group said, were denied medical treatment,
tortured and even killed for disobeying orders.
Refugees who fled the fighting told The Associated Press
the junta was forcing prisoners to walk ahead of their military
patrols as human shields, while also carrying weapons, food, and
wood. The U.S. State Department said Friday in its
13-page annual report on human rights in Burma that forced
portering had been common in 1994.
``The use of porters by the army -- with all the
attendant maltreatment, illness, and even death for those
compelled to serve -- remained a standard practice and probably
even increased,'' the report said.
In the past week, the junta has been pounding the three
main rebel strongholds with a daily barrage of artillery and
small arms fire.
Rebels have declined to reveal the number of casualties
suffered.
A relief worker said after several days on the front
lines that the junta appeared to be preparing to seize the three
remaining rebel strongholds in an effort to take control of the
entire Thai-Burmese border.
She said the rebels, after losing the opposition
headquarters of Manerplaw Jan. 27, were ``holding the territory
very well.'' The rebels, many of whom are memer fthe
Karen National Union, have bee ihigsne 1948 for greater autonomy
from the central government. They have been joined in recent
years by students and politicians demanding democratic reforms.
Buyaw Win, deputy director of the Defense Services
Intelligence, told a news conference in Rangoon Friday that rebel
defectors -- not the junta -- had been the architects of the
attack. Kyaw Win accused the rebels of taking advantage
of its 1992 cease-fire to attack villages and refusing to
properly feed its low-ranking troops, sparking the defections.
He said the defectors and government troops had suffered
``very little'' casualties but said more than 100 rebels had been
killed, 100 others seriously wounded and many more injured. None
of those figures could be independently confirmed.
Aung Sawoo, spokesman for the National League for
Democracy, a Burmese opposition party, said the junta has been
reinforcing its positions along the border with dozens of
artillery. The junta has dozens of tanks stationed in the area.
The U.S. State Department report, released Friday in
Bangkok, painted a grim picture of life under Burma's military
junta, accusing it of ``flagrant and systematic abuses of basic
human rights.''
It said there were credible reports that soldiers
committed extrajudicial killings and rape, and forced hundreds of
thousands, if not millions, of Burmese to harsh labor.
It said about 400 political prisoners remained in
detention, including 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu
Kyi, and the junta restricted basic rights to free speech,
association, religion, and a fair trial. The junta also restricts
travel, the media, and the right to change their government, it
said.
The junta held an election in 1990 but refused to honor
the results when the opposition won a landslide victory.
*****************KAREN STATE/KOWTHOOLEI***********************
VOA: KHIN NYUNT IN KAREN STATE
DATE=2/1/95
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
NUMBER=2-173322
TITLE=BURMA / KARENS / S-O
BYLINE=DAN ROBINSON
DATELINE=BANGKOK
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: SENIOR OFFICIALS OF BURMA'S MILITARY GOVERNMENT HAVE
VISITED KAREN STATE -- ALONG THE BORDER WITH THAILAND -- WHERE
GOVERNMENT TROOPS LAST WEEK OVERRAN THE MAIN HEADQUARTERS OF
ETHNIC KAREN REBELS. AS V-O-A'S DAN ROBINSON REPORTS FROM
BANGKOK,ALS USED THE VISIT TO JUSTIFY THE GOVERNMENT'S
OFFENSIVE AND CRITICIZE THE REBEL LEADERSHIP:
TEXT: BURMESE MEDIA REPORTED THE VISIT TO KAREN STATE BY
LIEUTENANT GENERAL KHIN NYUNT -- CONSIDERED THE MOST-POWERFUL
FIGURE IN THE RANGOON HIERARCHY -- AND ANOTHER OFFICIAL, GENERAL
MAUNG AYE.
THEY WERE VISITING PA-AN -- THE KAREN STATE CAPITAL FAR WEST OF
WHERE THE HEAVY FIGHTING BETWEEN GOVERNMENT TROOPS AND KAREN
REBELS OCCURRED.
KHIN NYUNT ACCUSED KAREN REBEL LEADER -- GENERAL BO MYA -- OF
REJECTING RANGOON PEACE OFFERS AND USING THAILAND AS A REFUGE TO
STAGE ATTACKS, DESPITE A UNILATERAL CEASEFIRE ANNOUNCED BY
RANGOON IN 1992.
BURMESE GOVERNMENT TROOPS -- HELPED BY KAREN REBEL DEFECTORS --
OVERRAN THE MAIN INSURGENT BASE AT MANERPLAW, LAST WEEK.
IN HIS REMARKS, KHIN NYUNT PLAYED UP DIVISIONS BETWEEN SOME
BUDDHISTS IN THE REBEL GROUP AND ITS CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP -- A
SPLIT WHICH HELPED THE GOVERNMENT TAKE MANERPLAW.
DESPITE THAI DENIALS, BO MYA IS REPORTED TO BE IN A SMALL VILLAGE
IN THAI TERRITORY WHERE AUTHORITIES ARE SAID TO BE PREVENTING
ACCESS BY JOURNALISTS. (SIGNED)
**********************THE TENASSERIM***************************
PRNNEWSWIRE: UNOCAL SIGNS MYANMAR GAS SALES AND PIPELINE
AGREEMENTS
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Unocal Corp. (NYSE: UCL)
today said that full-scale development will begin on the Myanmar
offshore natural gas project, following the signing of gas sales
and pipeline agreements this week. The $1 billion development
will supply gas to Thailand, and potentially to Myanmar, over a
30-year period.
The Yadana field, located in the Gulf of Martaban, south of
Yangon, Myanmar's capital, could contain natural gas reserves of
more than 5 trillion cubic feet (tcf). Production is expected to
begin in mid- 1998, leveling at 525 million cubic feet per day
(mmcfd) by 1999. Gas production could eventually reach 650
mmcfd, including volumes for domestic consumption in Myanmar.
The Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE) and the production
sharing contract participants -- Unocal Myanmar Offshore Co.
Ltd., a unit of Unocal; Total Myanmar Exploration and Production
Ltd., the operator and a unit of Total of France; and the
Petroleum Authority of Thailand Exploration & Production Public
Co. Ltd. (PTTEP) -- signed the gas sales agreement in Bangkok
today to supply the gas to the Petroleum Authority of Thailand
(PTT). Earlier in the week in Yangon, Unocal, Total and PTTEP
agreed to form a transportation company to build and operate the
pipeline that will transport the gas from the offshore field to
the Thailand border.
Also signed in Yangon was a separate sales agreement by which
Myanmar can be supplied with 125 mmcfd of gas for domestic use.
A domestic pipeline from the Yadana field to landfall south of
Yangon will first need to be constructed.
Unocal is a 33.25% shareholder in the pipeline project to
Thailand; Total holds 36.75%; and PTTEP, 30%. MOGE has an option
to acquire a 15 percent interest which, if exercised, would
reduce the other participants' interests proportionately. The
220-mile (350-kilometer) undersea pipeline will come onshore in
southern Myanmar and cross 40 miles (65 kilometers) of land to
the Thai border. PTT will build and operate a 190-mile
(300-kilometer) Thailand segment from the border to a 2,800 MW
power plant to be built at Ratchaburi in southern Thailand.
"This type of cross-border energy development is vital to the
region's growth," said John F. Imle Jr., president of Unocal.
Unocal is developing similar cooperative business concepts as we
focus on bringing known resources to the fast-growing Asian
energy markets and increasing our resource base in the region.
We are firm in our conviction that creating such new cooperative
arrangements will have a positive influence on the region's
economic growth and political stability." Imle noted that the
project will generate significant economic and social benefits to
the people of Myanmar. Ongoing operations are expected to
generate well paying jobs, income and career opportunities for
several hundred Myanmar nationals.
Imle added, "Yadana will significantly expand Unocal's
resource base in Southeast Asia. The economies of region are
growing rapidly, requiring additional energy supplies. These
agreements position Unocal to be a key player in that growth."
In addition to its long-term operations in Indonesia, Thailand
and the Philippines, Unocal is currently pursuing business
opportunities in China, Vietnam, Cambodia and other Asian
countries.
/CONTACT: Barry Lane of Unocal, 213-977-7601/ (UCL)
*************************ARAKAN********************************
REUTER: BURMA SAYS IT WILL STEP UP ROHINGYA REPATRIATION
COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh, Feb 3 (Reuter) - Burma told Bangladesh
on Friday it was ready to handle a larger repatriation of
Rohingya Moslem refugees, a Bangladesh official said.
The assurance came at a meeting of Bangladeshi and Burmese
officials in west Burma's Maungdaw township, Bangladesh's rElief
and Refugee Commissioner Khandaker Fazlur Rahman told reporters.
He said more than 155,000 refugees had returned to their homes in
west Burma's Moslem-majority state of Arakan, bordering
Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar district, as of Friday, and that over
95,000 were still living in 13 camps.
Currently, up to 4,000 refugees return home each week, officials
said, adding that the repatriation would speed up if Rangoon
increased its handling of returnees.
More than 250,000 Moslems, called Rohingyas, fled to Bangladesh
in early 1992 to escape what they said was military persecution
in Arakan. Repatriation began in September of that year after an
agreement between Dhaka and Rangoon.
Repatriation officials say they have recorded more than 20,000
births in the camps, but they did not actually add to refugee
counts because almost a similar number of Rohingyas had fled the
camps.
Police said they believed the camp-jumpers might have used fake
travel documents to migrate to other countries, or have resettled
with local Moslems.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, supervising the
repatriation, earlier said it expected all the refugees to return
home by end of 1995.
***********************SHAN STATE******************************
REUTER: KHUN SA'S ARMY SAYS SINKS BURMESE ARMY BOAT
BANGKOK, Feb 4 (Reuter) - The Mong Tai Army (MTA) of Golden
Triangle opium warlord Khun Sa sank a Burmese army boat loaded
with soldiers and heading for their headquarters, rebel sources
said on Saturday.
The guerrillas opened fire with rocket-propelled grenades on two
boats carrying about 20 soldiers each in the Mae-haw canal in
northeastern Shan state late on Friday, they said.
The soldiers were apparently heading for MTA headquarters at Ho
Mong, the sources said.
``We sank one of the boats and believe at least 10 enemy were
killed,'' the rebel source told Reuters.
He said the incident took place about 25 km (15 miles) west of Ho
Mong.
Khun Sa has been indicted in the United States for heroin
trafficking but denies the charges. He says the 8,000-strong MTA
is fighting for the independence of the Shan state from Burma but
U.S. and Thai narcotics suppression officials say the MTA
functions as a private army to protect his drug business.
*********************VISIT MYANMAR YEAR 1996*********************
IRRAWADDY: BURMA FORCED LABOUR YEAR 1996
By Soe Moe Naing
January 31, 1995
While the generals' pockets become fat with tourism dollars, it
is the ordinarypeople whose slavelabour is being exploited in the
name of development. 1996 should moreaptly be dubbed "Forced
Labour Year"
The whole of Burma is gearing up for Visit Myanmar Year 1996 .
There are large signboards everywhere in Burmese urging the
people to work together to make it a success. In every town and
city new hotels are being constructed. Roads are being repaired
and widened. With dwindling foreign reserves, Burma s generals
are hoping for salvation in the form of foreign tourists and
their dollars. But there will be no salvation for the Burmese
people. While the generals pockets become fat with tourism
dollars, it is the ordinary people whose slave labour is being
exploited in the name of development. 1996 should more aptly be
dubbed Forced Labour Year .
In the delta region, the situation is very bad. For example, the
Slorc is planning to construct a tourist resort near the town of
Chaung Tha in Irrawaddy Division. Last month troops moved in and
took over large areas of land to be used for the resort. Coconut
plantations adjacent to the beach were confiscated, and
compensation of 1000 Kyat for each coconut tree was promised to
the farmers. In fact only 350 Kyat was paid. Vegetable farms
behind the coconut plantations were also confiscated, but without
compensation.
In addition, households in good locations near to the beach or
town centre were ordered to pay a minimum of 15,000 Kyat or face
eviction. Most of the local people are poor and were unable to
pay. They are mostly farmers, whose only income is from coconut
oil. January to May is the coconut harvesting period, but since
the soldiers took over, the farmers have been unable to harvest
and will thus lose an entire year s income. Most of the farmers
now have no money, and are facing serious problems feeding their
families.
Those who have been evicted are relocated in a forest plantation
quite some distance away near the village of Shaw Bya. Here there
is no infrastructure, roads, electricity or safe drinking water,
and no way for them to earn a living. The result of the new
open-door economic policy is that poorer people are becoming ever
more destitute, while those in power are becoming incredibly
rich. Corruption is rife, especially among top leaders. In one
recent case the Minister for Hotels and
Tourism demanded 10% of construction costs as a personal bribe to
allow construction of the Novotel in Rangoon.
Across the country, everyone is becoming more and more angry.
People in Mandalay said that they regularly face conscription for
projects such as road construction. The only way to avoid this is
to pay a 200 Kyat fine. Those who cannot pay are forced to work,
and must even provide their own food. Thus it is the poorest
sections of society, those who need to work every day just to
provide their families with enough food, who are most affected.
All over Burma people tell the same story.
When asked about the apparently thriving economy in Mandalay, a
trishaw driver replied, The economic situation for the ordinary
Burmese person has not improved. The Chinese and the military are
the only people making money. The labourers, tea-boys and
prostitutes are the Burmese . Prostitution in Burma is by no
means a lucrative or appealing profession.
A prostitute in Mandalay costs as little as 75 Kyat (US 70 )
compared to 50 Kyat for a can of imported Coke.
Tourists visiting Burma should know what kind of system they are
supporting. How many people were evicted to make way for the
luxury hotel they are staying in. How many people were forced
into slavery to widen the road for their tour bus. And where the
dollars they spend are going.
(Soe Moe Naing contributed this article to the Irrawaddy. He
visited Burma in December. )
*********************VISIT MYANMAR YEAR 1996*********************
IRRAWADDY: UGLY SIDE OF TOURISM SEEN IN BURMA
31 January, 1995
I would like to encourage efforts to organise and publicise
protest against Visit Myanma Year 96. The sheer amount of hype
for VMY 96 is amazing pre- Visit Myanmar Year Trade Fairs (with
nothing a tourist could possibly want to buy), VMY Logo Contest,
VMY product endorsements, adnauseum. Rumor also has it that
Minister of Tourism Kyaw Ba has recently okayed 10 new major
hotels for Upper Prome Road-just what the city needs. The Thai
head engineer on the Novotel Mandalay construction project (right
next to Mand-alay Hill) informed me off the record that their
company had to court his favour for two years and had to pay him
a gift amounting to 10% of their budget. With ten new hotels,
Kyaw Ba will turn quite a nice profit I m sure.
In Mandalay, work on the moat continues. The entire moat has been
dredged and is being rebanked (at regulation 45 angles) in ugly
concrete and stone by teams of forced labour. The army s idea of
tourist appeal? Many workers have been brought in from Mandalay
Prison, (though the Army also uses its own men now too, after the
bad press in the NY Times last summer). Many more of the laborers
are from surrounding villages.
I spoke with one of the villager conscripts. He was an old Indian
man, 60, a farmer from a village north of Mandalay. He said the
Army conscripts 5000 villagers (or even poor Mandalay locals) for
10 day shifts at no pay. They must do service or pay 100Ks per
head per day, and they must bring their own tools, blankets,
mats, firewood, cooking implements, food. (If it is second-time
service, they receive 500Ks total food allowance.) The laborers
are housed in Zayats or lesser temple bldgs; work from 7:30AM to
5PM. Add to this the mass demolition of house facades facing onto
the moat-road earlier this year and the horrible reconstruction
job on the detail or depth-and it s not hard to see the Army will
justify anything in the name of beautification for the coming
tourists.
In Pagan, a tourist guide told about local concern among the
young men about Army plans to build a railroad from Pakkoku to
Sagaing. They were expecting the Army to began conscripting
laborers from nearby villages in January. (Incidentally, the
upper terraces to the eight largest major temples in Pagan have
been closed to all visitors since November-these are the temples
that most people take their photos from! And of course, they didn
t reduce FEC$10 entrance price.
Rumors of a Light and Sound Show to come.)
On our trip to Upper Burma, we were stopped repeatedly by
Military Intelligence Service, Special Branch and Immigration.
Over three days, we were routinely questioned twice a day: where
did we go? how many photos did we shoot? of what? Did we meet
with the opposition Council of Ethnic Minorities? No, we wouldn t
even know where to find them. Minorities meeting a foreigner
would be highly suspect, also highly visible; if they were doing
their job, they wouldn t need to ask.
Myitkyina is supposedly an approved white area, but the regional
authorities haven t changed since BSPP days, much less can
conceive of tourists actually visiting.
Chinese trucks hauling bicycles and machinery and who knows what
else to be exchanged for loads of Burmese teak, listening to two
local workmen talk about the Chinese bridge slated for early 96.
Everyone whispers about all the Chinese crossing over from Yunnan
with forged Burmese Nationality Cards. Why doesn t the
Immigration squad ever question them?
A Kachin woman in the seat across started telling us that the
hills of Pakan up there are crawling with Yunnan Chinese who buy
favour from the Army, yet speak neither Burmese nor Kachin.
Mining concessions have been sold from right under Buddhist
temples, ect.
China's PM Li Peng negotiated the 96
return tour of the Sacred Relic of the Buddha s Tooth, loaned
from Yunnan earlier in the year as a token of good will (China
later requested $500,000 for transportation costs). A Sweet Tooth
for Visit Myanmar Year? Or perhaps Myanmar dim-sum?
(B.I.G.Inside Source)
*********************VISIT MYANMAR YEAR 1996*********************
IRRAWADDY: LETTER--MYANMAR AS A U.S.-CITIZEN SEES IT
31 January, 1995
By US citizen in Myanmar
[Recently, BIG received this Letter from Ragoon. Due to fears for
the sender's safety, we were not able to publishhis name but here
you may learn from his experences in Rangoon and his trip to
upper Burma. Then you may decide whether you will support visit
Myanmar Year 1996.]
Dear Editor,
I am at home, but the land-marks I remembered as a kid growing up
are gone. Sule Pagoda Road, the main drag in the heart of the
city, is cluttered with neon signs advertising Japanese and
Korean electronic products. Movie theatres such as the Globe,
Palladium, Royal and the Carlton, which I frequented are being
torn down to make way for the New Shangri-La Hotel.
Since 1992 I have had the opportunity of visiting Myanmar six
times, thanks to the outward looking policies of the State Law
and Order Restoration Council regarding Myanmar born expatriates.
With its devastating, two-and-half decades of mismanagement and
atavistic socialistic system behind it, my birth place is
exploding with new construction, new apartments, new roads, new
hotels, new businesses as it grooms itself for the overtures of
the rich it once repelled and a fresh class of entrepreneurs
looking for opportunities in Myanmar.
Change is very much visible, and Yangon is becoming a sprawling
city of residential and commercial districts first planned in the
19th and early 20th centuries.
After liberalizing the economic system in 1989 to resemble more
of a free market economy, the State Law and Order Restoration
Council succeeded in enticing tourists and foreign investment
into the country. Expatriates are coming back equipped with
management, techniques, investment ideas and above all fat bank
accounts, to invest, open shops, set up offices and scout for
opportunities. Recently, an informal group of the British Chamber
of Commerce visited Myanmar, and one of its members, Peter Snell
of Asian Market Intelligence said in Bangkok that even though
there is a lack of reliable raw data in Myanmar and exchange rate
disparities exist, Myanmar was way ahead of Laos, Vietnam, and
Cambodia as a country starting out .
It is safe to assume that as the Government continues to inject
more forward looking policies, Myanmar could be joining the ranks
of its neighbours in a very short time. Myanmar deserves to
succeed in the twenty first century like other developing
countries after being denied the fruits of progress for thirty
years. I am elated to witness the gradual economic progress of
Myanmar, but at the same time I cannot help being concerned about
the fall-out effect it is having on the culture. The most
significant visible change that has taken place is among the
younger generation and their dress. It is rather depressing (and
sometime hilarious) to see how younger females think it is
fashionable to ape the dress styles popular in Thailand. Most of
them are under the impression that they are being au courant and
Western not realizing that such atrocious fashion designs are
neither Western nor fashionable, and that such tacky dresses,
blouses, trousers, shoes and other paraphernalia are nothing but
pirated, look alike knock offs, manufactured in Thailand. Having
lived in the United States for thirty something years I can
authoritatively state that dressing up like a typical American
female can be achieved very easily, if tastefully done. However,
what I have witnessed is young females emulating the dress code
of Thailand's infamous red light district, Patpong.
The style is definitely not American nor Western. It is the
ultimate in bad taste. In a way young Myanmar women have
disparaged themselves by emulating this dreadful style. They have
not only devalued themselves, but have become misfits in a very
traditional society. Discarding the traditional Longyi for
Western style dress is quite dominant among entertainers at
government sanctioned night club style restaurants. Female
entertainers dressed in knee length skirts or snugly fitted jeans
parade up and down the stage belting out in Myanmar lyrics of
Western 60's and 70's songs. Myanmar men and drunks, step up to
the stage and drape the singers with fake garlands that cost a
minimum of 100 Kyats. Those who like to flaunt their wealth tack
500 Kyat bills to the garland and take their time draping it on
the singer.
This gives them the opportunity to get close to her. We can
freely assume what is on his mind! I know that not all
entertainers are receptive to such approaches nor do they approve
of it. But the appearance women have given sends the wrong signal
to the foreigners.
Many of the foreign businessmen with whom I have talked feel that
Myanmar is a man's paradise, that is to say that it gives the
appearance that there are plenty of women "available". This
perception is so widespread among travelling foreigners that even
men from the country that operates that infamous red light
district are looking at Myanmar as a haven. This is outrageous!
Another visible thing that dots the landscape is the influx of
predo-minantly Asian businessmen.
The behaviour of businessmen from Myanmar's neighbours, including
Korea, are appalling even to a Western-educated conservative
Asian man like myself. Many of my business colleagues in Myanmar
informed me that these businessmen are obnoxious, demanding
crude, and above all have a very low impression of Myanmar,
especially when it comes to the opposite sex.
During their frequent visits to Yangon for consultations, part of
their agenda includes a request that their Myanmar counterpart
provide them with a female companion. Many local businessmen
refuse to go along with such requests, but some feel they have no
alternative but to oblige them for the sake of the deal. Many
businessmen say that they are damned if they do. They also admit
that one has to be a pimp to be successful in business.
This is a gross distortion of what the honest free market is
supposed to be. In one of my frequent visits to a very new and
fashionable hotel bar on the outskirts of Yangon, I was appalled
by the despicable behaviour of some of the Asian businessmen who
totally disregarded the norms of a society. They were having fun
grabbing the derrieres of Myanmar waitresses whenever they passed
them. When the young ladies displayed their disapproval, these
men muttered in their own language and laughed.
I think I can guess what they said. The young ladies got smart by
covering their behinds with their bar trays, but the grabbing did
not stop. No one said anything about this vulgar behaviour. I
wondered whether such disgusting public behaviour is allowed in
their own country?
I can safely state that such customers would be thrown out and
sued for sexual harassment in the United States. Every place has
its code of conduct and I do hope that some responsible person
will put an end to such behaviour. The hotel is a nice place to
visit for a drink or two, and to escape from the hum drum routine
one has to experience in Yangon. This is one of the reasons why
many expatriates like me enjoy listening to a foreign band
belting out the hit tunes of Kenny Rogers of Tina Turner.
Enjoying the ambiance and having a good time does not include
grabbing butts of waitresses as sport. It is obnoxious. In a
separate instance, a group of Korean businessmen were playing
golf when one of them started to show his true character by
muttering in pidgen English, the Korean went wild and insisted on
showing the girl how to unzip by unzipping his pants and exposing
himself. The rest of the Koreans ganged up together to unzip the
caddie.
Luckily she escaped unharmed, but frightened. Her neighbours were
furious, but unable to do anything about it. This is intolerable.
In America the Korean and his friends would have been arrested
for assault. To a visitor it is shocking to witness such vulgar
acts. It is important that these visitors not forget that Myanmar
is also an Asian country with it's own identity and a culture
which goes back over 2,500 years. The basic tenet of our culture
teaches one to be patient, obedient, respectful and behave
appropriately in public. When any one abuses it deliberately, it
is an assault not only to the culture, but to every respectable
person. I am very angry and disappointed that such nonsensical
acts are being forced upon the people of Myanmar in the name of
trade and investment. It is in very poor taste for any visiting
foreigner to take advantage of the host country when the people
are passive and economically poor. If any, we the outsiders are
the ones that should set the standard code of conduct by behaving
like civilized people, not a bunch of hooligans.
The people of Myanmar will tolerate it to an extent, but by all
means, it is dumb and ignorant on the part of anyone to assume
that they can get away with it. One can be assured that this does
not sit well with the majority of the people in Myanmar.
Those atrocious behaviour is shocking and flyies against the
basic cultural heritage of any society. It is also very
interesting to observe that the people who abuse the hospitality
of the people of Myanmar were once as poor as the people with
whom they now wish to conduct business.
I wonder whether the economic miracle of their nations have
turned these people into Ugly Asians . One need only glimpse the
expressions of the Yangon scene to realize that the future of
Myanmar and the success of foreign investment now hangs on our
fellow Asians remembering that wealth must reinforce good
manners, not obviate them! (B.I.G. Inside Sources)
(1) This article appeared in the New Light of Myanmar on January
6, 1995
**************************INTERNATIONAL**************************
JAPAN TIMES: MORE OF THE SAME IN MYANMAR
The Japan Times, Saturday Feb. 4, 1995
Editorial
After 46 years of determined resistance to the
central government of Myanmar, the military forces
of the Karen ethnic minority group were driven from
their headquarters in Manerplaw this week. The
rout has created a refugee problem for neighboring
Thailand and revealed once again that Myanmar's
leaders prefer the neat logic of military strength to
the inevitable compromises of democratic politics.
It is a lesson that we cannot afford to forget.
Although many of the details are still unknown, this
much is clear: After a lightening assault, the Karen
National Union (KNU) forces were driven from their
self-declared capital, sending about 10,000 civilians
and nearly 4,000 fighters over the Thai border. Who
led the assault is not yet clear. The State Law and
Order Restoration Council (SLORC) the military
junta that governs Myanmar, declared that the
attacking forces were made up of Buddhist rebels
who had broken off from the KNU last year. By
that account, the military engagement was an
internal matter among rival factions within the Karen
movement.
That is convenient. In April 1992, SLORC declared
a unilateral cease-fire with rebel forces so
as to open the way for peace negotiations. The
junta claims to have signed 13 separate agreements
with rebel groups in the period since then. The
KNU signaled its willingness to hold talks with
SLORC last fall, but dissension within the Karen
movement apparently convinced Myanmar's rulers
that delay would work to their advantage. It did.
The KNU has been divided between Christian and
Buddhist factions, a split that led last December to
the defection of the Buddhist group and the
formation of the Democratic Kayin Buddhist
Organization (DKBA). SLORC was quick to
exploit that division in the largest and strongest rebel
group.
After initial denials of involvement in this week's
attack, Myanmar admitted that it had provided
"logistical" support for the DKBA. News reports
suggest that it was much more: that government
forces provided the body of the troops used in the
assault, artillery fire and armored personnel carriers
during the attack. If these reports are true, SLORC
violated the terms of its own cease-fire.
It was certainly a tempting target. Manerplaw was
the command post of the Karen movement, but it
was also the headquarters of the self-proclaimed
Burmese government in exile--the democratic
politicians of the opposition who fled after SLORC
nullified the 1990 election -- and a refuge for
dissident students who had escaped the reach of
security forces after the military crushed the 1988
democracy uprising.
Having seized the Karen stronghold, miliary officials
in Myanmar assert that they will eliminate the
guerrillas. For KNU leaders maintain that
they will regroup in Thailand and resume their
independence campaign. Some fighters welcome the
setback; freed from defending a fixed position, they
can now return to the hit-and-run tactics that are
favored by guerrilla forces. That could threaten to
widen the war, just as a large group of Karen
sympathizers in Thailand could spark border clashes.
Myanmar's neighbors and trading partners--including Japan--have
stuck to their policy of
"constructive engagement" in the contacts
with the repressive regime would educate leaders of
that hermetic nation about the outside world and
their responsibilities to their citizens. Last summer,
Myanmar's foreign minister was invited to the
ministerial talks that accompany the annual ASEAN
summit as a carrot to entice SLORC to greater
democratization.
A series of meetings between democracy activist
Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi and SLORC leaders
galvanized hopes that the policy was finally paying
off. But there has been no progress since and the
military engagement this week -- and the regime's
duplicity concerning its involvement -- suggests that
the promise of constructive engagement amounts to
little more than hope.
Myanmar is paying for ins intransigence. Attacks on
the Karen rebels have earned it censure from the
United States and Australia. Foreign companies
operating in Myanmar are beginning to appreciate
the taint that comes from associating with the
regime and are closing up shop. This weekend, a
United Nations delegation visits Rangoon to resume
the dialogue begun in October by Secretary General
Boutros Boutros-Ghali. That dialogue should
continue, but we wonder about its worth when
Myanmar's leaders refuse to keep their word.
**********************THE TENASSERIM***************************
UPI: BURMA, THAILAND SIGN BIG GAS DEAL
By Tavorn Tammachatwichit
Bangkok, Feb. 2 (Upi) -- Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai
presided at the signing of a controversial contract Thursday to
pipe 10 billion baht (d400 million) worth of natural gas per year
across southern Burma to energy-hungry Thailand.
Along with Thai and Burmese government officials, the signing
ceremony at the Government House in Bangkok was attended by
representatives of the two international petroleum companies with
interests in the huge project, Unocal of the United States and
Total of France.
The project has been criticized on environmental grounds and
by ethnic minorities living in Burmese territory through which
the pipeline will be laid.
The signing was the culmination of three years of exploration
and negotiation by the two petroleum giants, the Myanmar Oil and
Gas Enterprise of Burma, the Petroleum Authority of Thailand and
the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand.
Officials said the 30-year agreement calls for drilling about
1.2 miles (2 km) beneath Burma's Gulf of Martaban in the Tadana
field, which has proven reserves of 5.7 trillion cubic feet of
natural gas. The gas will then be sent by pipeline 250 miles
(400 km) to the Thai border through areas formerly held by ethnic
Mon and Karen insurgents opposed to the ruling military junta in
Rangoon.
"This contract marks the first time Thailand has bought
natural gas from a foreign drilling field," Chuan said at the
signing ceremony. "Working together will not just be of economic
advantage to Thailand and the Union of Burma, but will help
promote friendship and understanding between our two countries."
On behalf of Rangoon, Burmese Energy Minister U Khin Maung
Thein said his government "had been seeking the opportunity to
produce and utilize natural gas for the benefit of the country.
Later we could realize the project to supply natural gas to
Thailand for 30 years. I believe that this project would
contribute towards the development programs in Myanmar (Burma)
and Thailand."
J.M. Beuque, Total's chief executive for Far East exploration
and production, told United Press International he expected that
partners in the pipeline venture would spend d800 million by July
1998, when the gas is scheduled to start flowing.
"Everybody knows that due to economic growth Thailand needs
energy, especially natural gas," he said. "We are dedicated to
the Southeast Asian area where we already have achieved
substantial successes in the past years."
Representatives of Burma's ethnic Mon minority have claimed
that as many as 3,000 Mon villagers will have to be moved to make
way for the gas pipeline.
Mon and Karen rebels have linked a major Burmese military
offensive currently under way against rebels near the border to
the pipeline and other Rangoon government development schemes.
Human rights groups have accused the Burmese junta of using
thousands of "porters" and other unpaid workers -- virtual slave
laborers -- on infrastructure projects.
Opponents of the Rangoon regime have also criticized foreign
companies for investing in Burma despite widespread reports of
human rights abuses by the Burmese military.
upi 10:07 gmt ;02021034 ---End---
**************************INTERNATIONAL**************************
CANBERRA TIMES: HAWKE UNDER ATTACK FOR IGNORING BURMA'S HUMAN
RIGHTS
February 1 1995
by Ian McPhedran
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Gareth Evans, carpeted former
Prime Minister Bob Hawke yesterday for not raising human rights
with the military regime during a business trip to Burma.
Senator Evans said Mr Hawke had called him from Hong Kong
yesterday morning to clarify his position.
Senator Evans also hinted at a new international response to the
military offensive launched by Burma's military junta against the
ethnic Karen and pro-democracy movement on the Thai border.
He said the government was "deeply concerned" about the
continuing offensive against the Karen .
"Australia calls on the Myanmar [Burma] authorities to cease all
military action in the Manerplaw area and to negotiate a complete
military and political settlement" Senator Evans said.
Using the military regime's preferred name for the country,
Myanmar, he said that despite a briefing having been provided by
his department for Mr Hawke earlier in January, he was not aware
of the visit until after it had taken place.
"Had I known that he [Hawke] was going there I would have
expressed no basic objection to the visit itself for exploring
commercial opportunities" Senator Evans said.
"What I certainly wopuld have done is urge him to use his
undoubted stature and reputation internationally to make some
very important points about the need for change in Burma."
Mr Hawke chose not to raise the issues of human rights and the
detention of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, despite what
Senator Evans described as an "ample opportunity" to do so.,
particularly in discussions with junta leader General Khin Nyunt.
" I have conveyed directly to Mr Hawke my disappointment at the
missed opportunity to reinforce the views of the whole world
community in this respect and also the significance likely to be
attributed by the regime to the issue not being raised" Senator
Evans said.
He said Mr Hawke responded by saying he felt intensely about
these issues and that he would be in a better position to
influence the junta if he has a continuing presence there.
"I have no reason whatsoever to doubt his genuineness in this
respect but, as I indicated to him, I did differ quite
fundamentally from his judgment in that respect."
Senator Evans also revealed that in light of the new military
offensive he had discussed with Britain's Foreign Secretary,
Douglas Hurd, and would discuss today with United States deputy
Secretary of State, Strobe Talbott, what the international
community might now be able to do about Burma. ofensive would
result in a renewed flow of displaced people into Thailand, and
Australia hoped that Thailand's good record of sheltering
refugees would continue. He ruled out an immediate change to the
policy of neither encouraging nor discouraging trade and
investment in Burma.
Democrats Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Vicki Bourne said that
Australia took the lead against apartheid and should now take the
lead against the junta in Burma.
" I call on them to consider methods of coordinating an
international regime of economic and trade sanctions against the
Burmese junta" Senator Bourne said.
Posted by Gehan Wijeyewardene, gew400@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
**************************INTERNATIONAL**************************
ABSL(A): PEACE, HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY IN BURMA
ALL BURMA STUDENTS LEAGUE ( AUSTRALIA )
---------------------------------------
Press Statement on
Peace, Human Rights and Democracy in Burma
February 3, 1994.
We, the members of All Burma Students League, Burmese
students who participated at the fore front of the struggle for
democracy and human rights in 1988. After the State Law and
Order
Restoration Council (SLORC) seized the state power in September
18, 1988, we went to Thai-Burmese border in order to continue
our struggle. With our belief that the non-violent struggle
will bring Burma an end to civil war and restoration of genuine
peace, democracy and human rights, we have participated in this
movement.
Present political situation, in our view, require the cessation
of civil war as a fundamental element for restoration of peace,
democracy and human rights. Only the cessation of civil war
bring a situation conducive for peaceful settlement of
political
problems.
The failure to bring an end to armed hostilities by both parties
-the SLORC and ethnic nationalities - may infact prolonged the
miseries of the past; even beyond 40 years. Therefore, the
responsibility to implement the cease-fire lied upon all the
warring parties.
It is our view that the civil war in Burma has now been at its
final phase and the violence are fading away. The time is right
for the peaceful negotiation for political settlements. Only the
negotiation will give true peace, human rights and democracy to
all the people of Burma.
Pondering upon these facts, we believe, the plan into bringing
about the peaceful changes in future are:
- SLORC must make genuine effort to bring an end to civil war;
- SLORC must suspend present process of writing the
constitution;
- Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners must be
released unconditionally;
- Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the oppositions, the representatives of
the ethnic nationalities and also SLORC must open peace
negotiation;
- The leaders of ethnic nationalities should devoted of solving
the political problems by political means.
We, All Burma Students League in Australia, appeal the United
Nations and international community in assisting the people of
Burma
and their struggle for peace and democracy.
All Burma Students League in Australia
Contact person: Maung Maung Naing, the representative of ABSL in
Australia
Address : 8/141 Cross Road, Westbourne Park, SA 5041,
Australia (Ph: 08 357 8706)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-
All Burma Students League
THAILAND: P.O. Box 4-2, Sansennai P.O., Phayathai, Bangkok,
Bangkok 10400, Thailand. Tel/Fax ( 662) 377-9827
INDIA : NO. 3, Krishna Menon Marg, New Delhi - 11, India
U.S.A : P.O. Box 250081, Columbia University Station, New York
NY 10025, USA.
******************************MISC******************************
SEASIA-L: POSTINGS IN RESPONSE TO "AP: KAREN REFUGEES"
Posted by knguyen@xxxxxx
Hi,
It's really sad. Due to disenchantment with the Christian
leadership, many Buddhist Karens would aid Burmese communists in
its assault on Manerplaw ? If that were true, there might be a
surrender to communism by these fractions ?
It is a incredible rebellion against communists I ever know, but
there is some correlation with the Vietnam war regarding siding
with communsist by people in opposition. Christians or
Buddhists in the communist regime are one way or another
repressed and they are somehow not genuine Christian or Buddhist.
knguyen@xxxxxx
A. Minn Oo <ZU02762@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> replies:
Excuse me sir,
To my knowledge, Burma is not a communist country like Vietnam
used to. I would suggest that your usage of "Burmese communist"
is wrong. Burmese communists are the ones on the run in the
ranges of Burma. I would appreciate for avoid using the usage
"Burmese communist."
Thanks you,
A. M. Oo
K Nguyen replies:
Hi A. Minn Oo,
The independent Union of Burma was established in 1948. Its
democratic constituion was suspended in 1962 by General Ne Win,
and a new socialist constitution was announced in 12/1973.
Under Ne Win's socialist dictatorship, the potentiallly rich
country sank into poverty. Following blindly "socialism"
invented by people - Karl Marx, Lenin, Mao Tse-Tung - not knowing
a bit about economics, true-and-now Burmese regime is not
communist with true meaning ?
Newin resigned as CHAIRMAN of the nation's only political party,
but his military team is still ruling the country. The military
is the direct son of this kind of "socialist" party. Under the
mask of "socialist" dictatorship, what kind of label does one
have for this regime, if not communist ?
knguyen@xxxxxx
**************************************************************
NEWS SOURCES REGULARLY COVERED/ABBREVIATIONS USED BY BURMANET:
AP: ASSOCIATED PRESS
AFP: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
AW: ASIAWEEK
AWSJ: ASIAN WALL STREET JOURNAL
Bt.: THAI BAHT; 25 Bt.3 DUS$1 (APPROX),
BBC: BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION
BI: BURMA ISSUES
BKK POST: BANGKOK POST (DAILY NEWSPAPER, BANGKOK)
BRC-CM: BURMESE RELIEF CENTER-CHIANG MAI
BRC-J: BURMESE RELIEF CENTER-JAPAN
CPPSM: C'TEE FOR PUBLICITY OF THE PEOPLE'S STRUGGLE IN MONLAND
FEER: FAR EAST ECONOMIC REVIEW
IRRAWADDY: NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED BY BURMA INFORMATION GROUP
JIR: JANE'S INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
KHRG: KAREN HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP
Kt. BURMESE KYAT; UP TO 150 KYAT-US$1 BLACK MARKET
106 KYAT US$1-SEMI-OFFICIAL
6 KYAT-US$1 OFFICIAL
MOA: MIRROR OF ARAKAN
NATION: THE NATION (DAILY NEWSPAPER, BANGKOK)
NLM: NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR (DAILY STATE-RUN NEWSPAPER, RANGOON)
R.T.A.:REC.TRAVEL.ASIA NEWSGROUP
S.C.B.:SOC.CULTURE.BURMA NEWSGROUP
S.C.T.:SOC.CULTURE.THAI NEWSGROUP
SEASIA-L: S.E.ASIA BITNET MAILING LIST
SLORC: STATE LAW AND ORDER RESTORATION COUNCIL
USG: UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
XNA: XINHUA NEWS AGENCY
**************************************************************